Nørrebro: Police changing tactics

The Copenhagen Police will be restricting itself now in the Nørrebro district. When looking for illegal weapons canine patrols and groups of agents will no longer be used to search people. According to an e-mail that TV 2 News got hold of, this is due to the fear of provoking the youth further.

Claus Olsen, Vice police inspector in the Copenhagen Police, writes to his colleagues that the consequences of their resolute interventions have brought about that group and canine patrols function as a red flag for the youth. Therefore patrols of the emergency department and canine patrols will until further notice not conduct searches in the area around Blågårds Plads and Folkets Park.

He writes that he understands the frustrations that this can cause in connection to the police work that is conducted in the area now.

The head of the Copenhagen Police, Hanne Bech Hansen, says the mail is improperly formulated and gives the impression that the police are running away, which is not what they're doing. She says that they do what they should with the necessary resources, and they don't speculate about whether it hurts anybody.

According to police assistant Palle Andersen, if previously most agents were from the emergency department in large groups, now the job will be done mostly by local officers. This will make room for and strengthen the social workers. The large police cars will stay out of Inner Nørrebro, but be ready if there's any need for them.

The chairman of the Copenhagen Police association, Claus Oxholm, was quoted in one source as being critical but elsewhere he thinks the idea is good. He doesn't think there will be less searches, but it will give the police the possibility to have more cars on the roads, and the local police know better who are the local criminals.

Peter Skaarup, of the Danish People's party says that they don't think that the police is provoking. They think it's really the youth who are provoking. It's the youth who want to decide what goes on and they shouldn't be allowed to.

Sources: TV2, Nyhedsavisen (Danish)

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